The Mech Touch

The Big Two invested considerably in the invasion of the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy. They considered a decision of such import carefully and made plenty of preparations spanning over a hundred years.

In fact, many analysts throughout the human space suspected that the Big Two plotted to conquer the Red Ocean right after the start of the Age of Mechs!

Unfortunately, human civilization had fallen into a low point at the time. Its internal state was so awful that an offensive action of this scale was highly irresponsible.

That has changed now. Human civilization had not only regained its strength during the height of the Age of Conquest, but also exceeded it by a huge margin!

The new order that emerged after the rise of the Big Two managed to foster a period of unprecedented peace in human space!

Though many people criticised the decision to rob the states of the right to field their own warships, it did manage to succeed in its main objective!

The transition from warships to mechs reduced the level of death and destruction in any human conflict to a minimum.

The galactic population of humans grew to a considerable degree!

Manpower formed the foundation of strength. With more humans born than ever before, their civilization finally gained the depth required to restart its offensive run!

The only problem was that human civilization still neighbored many hostile alien empires in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Would the rivals of humanity remain quiet as their mortal enemy gleefully raided the Red Ocean for phasewater?

”The implications of the invasion are very far and wide.” Tristan told Ves over the comm. ”While no one is sure how many forces the Big Two have committed to the invasion, it is undeniable that their strength in the Milky Way has declined!”

Ves nodded in agreement. ”Weʼve all noticed how the Big Two have become less active in this star sector. If the same applies to the rest of human space, then our alien neighbors might be getting some ideas.”

”This is why we shouldnʼt assume that we are all safe back here in the Milky Way.”

”What is the position of the Rim Guardians?”

Tristan grimaced. ”The Rim Guardians arenʼt in a good shape, to be honest. If you think about it, who benefits more from the invasion, the Rim Guardians or the Prime Humans?”

It didnʼt take much guessing for Ves to come up with an answer.

”The Prime Humans are a faction based in the center of the galaxy, right? Humanityʼs strength there is at a peak. Theyʼre also tied to many factions, groups and notable individuals from the first-rate states. This means that they are in a great position to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Red Ocean!”

”The Rim Guardians have always been the underdog within the MTA. According to my source, they highly disagreed with the decision to invade the Red Ocean. There are far more downsides than upsides to this invasion to them. Their strength is already strained by their obligation to protect the vast and dispersed regions of the galactic rim. They canʼt redirect too many additional forces to profit from the invasion of the Red Ocean.”

”If they reduce their strength in the galactic rim even further, then theyʼll probably show enough weakness to tempt the aliens into attacking human space!”

Now that Tristan pointed out this circumstance, Ves filled in the gaps himself!

The Rim Guardians were really too disadvantaged compared to the Prime Humans!

What happened in the Komodo Star Sector already served as an example of the difficult position of the Rim Guardians! The MTA should have responded more forcefully against the sandmen if not for this recent initiative!

”The internal competition within the MTA is very severe.” Tristan stated. ”The poor position of the Rim Guardians have forced them to adopt a different strategy from the Prime Humans with regards to the invasion. If they let the Prime Humans dominate the Red Ocean, theyʼll probably balloon in strength once they obtain the bulk of the phasewater that lands in the hands of the MTA!”

That sounded like very bad news to Ves. The Rim Guardians appeared to be the only faction that supported the galactic rim and the most underprivileged citizens of human space.

Even if Ves managed to become a galactic pioneer, he would still be defined by his background in the Red Ocean.

Forging a friendship with the Rim Guardians was a way for him to build up solid backing for himself while he adventured in the dwarf galaxy. Without reliable support, Ves would never be able to move as freely as he wanted in frontier space!

For this reason, the relative strength and position of the Rim Guardians mattered a lot to Ves and Tristan. Due to his background, he had no chance in aligning himself with the Prime Humans.

”What are the Rim Guardians doing to narrow the gap?” Ves asked.

”Since they canʼt deploy too much of their own forces to the Red Ocean, theyʼve decided to lean on their associates.”

”Ah.”

That made a lot of sense to Ves. It was akin to relying on mercenaries.

”The opportunities and rewards offered by the Rim Guardians are much more generous than the Prime Humans. This is also a reflection of their different bases of support. The Prime Humans are based in the most powerful regions of human space. The first-rate citizens that support them are mostly capable enough to obtain an individual or fleet beyonder ticket with their own strength!”

”So there is an opportunity for the Rim Guardians to narrow the gap by leaning on external help. However, I donʼt see how this is profitable. Associates like us wonʼt work for them without remuneration. Phasewater is very expensive and highly desirable. If the Rim Guardians dare to exploit us, a galactic pioneer can always decide to sell their phasewater to the CFA!”

”Theyʼre not after immediate profit this time, Ves. Theyʼre opening their pockets to invest in the future. The Rim Guardians are fairly eager to befriend associates who will colonize the middle and lower zones of the Red Ocean. Establishing a presence in these zones will enable the Rim Guardians to benefit from much of the phasewater and other strategic exotics harvested in these territories in the future.”

”Thatʼs.. kind of brilliant!” Ves perked up. ”While the yield isnʼt very big, all of those future states in the Red Ocean will certainly look up to the Rim Guardians and the MTA! Itʼs not quite the same when it comes to the future first-rate states of the Red Ocean. Many of them will doubtlessly be founded by the Terrans or Rubarthans, who never enjoy good relations with the Big Two!”

Tristan grinned. ”The Prime Human Fraternity knows that. The activity zone system that restricts the actions of the galactic pioneers is one of the means they came up with to put pressure on the first-rate superstates. The weaker first-rate states that exist in their shadow will never allow them to grow stronger! By locking them all in the cages called the upper zones, the Prime Humans hope that the lesser first-rate states that they support will be able to gang up on the Terrans and Rubarthans!”

Ves had never considered these matters before. While he wasnʼt involved in the machinations at the top, the people at the bottom still felt their effects.

From what Tristan described so far, it was unlikely for the Rim Guardians to gain advantages in the invasion. Subsidizing and deepening their connection with associates so that they would conquer more territory in the Red Ocean was just a stopgap solution to stem the bleeding.

So even if Ves and Tristan benefited from this development, it didnʼt change the fact that they were essentially cozying up to a losing faction.

However, Ves didnʼt care so much. He much preferred to make decisions based on his current needs rather than his future concerns.

If the Rim Guardians fell out of power somehow, Ves had no qualms in jumping ship and finding another umbrella to shelter under. At that time, he believed that he wouldnʼt be a small and insignificant Journeyman anymore, so he should be able to partner up with plenty of other influences!

After centuries of dormancy, humanity had become proactive again and started to make some very big moves.

While many people felt uncomfortable that humanity has begun to take some risks, countless opportunities emerged as a result!

To those who were daring and adventurous enough to brave the risks, it was possible for them to change their lives and climb to heights that they couldnʼt have reached during peacetime!

”Risk is accompanied by reward.” Ves summed up his thoughts.

Throughout their conversation, Ves and Tristan reaffirmed their tacit understanding.

Just like the partnership between Ves and the Tovar Family, he and Tristan both sought to hedge a position on the outcome of the Komodo War.

If the Friday Coalition won the war, Ves would become a fugitive in the star sector. While he didnʼt worry too much about himself, he didnʼt know what would happen to his family.

Having a friendly Fridayman on his side might be crucial in preserving the wellbeing of the Larkinsons loyal to the Bright Republic.

In the event the Hexers won the war, Tristan Wesseling would lose much of his foundation. If his Master couldnʼt help him out for some reason, then having Ves lend him a hand might be crucial in preserving his life and freedom one day.

Of course, the other reason why they wanted to remain friendly with each other was because they both wanted to support each other if they entered into the orbit of the Rim Guardians.

Once Ves ended the call, he leaned back and considered all of the news he learned.

”Tristan was oddly generous with sharing his information to me.” He frowned. ”Thatʼs not quite normal considering my current status.”

Tristan was a second-class mech designer who directly enjoyed the tutelage of an esteemed Master.

While Ves believed his future was promising, he knew he did not merit any special attention right now. For Tristan to be so generous today meant he believed that Ves would do well regardless of which side won the Komodo War.

All Ves could conclude was that he would definitely return the favor.

Gloriana moved to him sometime later. She held a strained smile while she sidled up to his side.

”Melody told me something interesting. She told me you had a conversation with someone Iʼm not very keen on. Care to explain yourself?”

”I donʼt need to explain myself to you. I met Tristan before I met you. We both benefit from each other.”

”Ves..” Gloriana gnashed his teeth. ”If you wanted to befriend more second-class mech designers, I could have introduced you to some from the Hegemony! I have plenty of contacts in my Commbook!”

”Would they respect a third-class citizen and mech designer like me?” Ves pushed back.

That answer stumped her for a moment.

Though she valued him a lot, not everyone knew him as well as her and Tristan.

”Iʼm already working on overcoming their biases…” She muttered.

”Thatʼs not enough, and you know it. Every second-class mech designer looks down on third-class mech designers, and that is not entirely without merit. Regardless, even if I manage to earn their recognition, I still would have insisted on maintaining relations with Tristan. Befriending a Fridayman can come in handy in the Hegemony lands in dire straits one day.”

She scowled. ”You and your insistence on hedging your positions. Donʼt you have faith in my home state?!”

”Iʼm not a Hexer, Gloriana.” Ves stood his ground with a smile. ”And I never will as long as Hexers insist that women are greater than men!”

”But women are superior!”

Ves threw his hands up and turned around without bothering to reply.

On confrontations like this, they both decided it was best to agree to disagree.

Though Gloriana still appeared upset over her boyfriendʼs decision to associate with a Fridayman, she knew that Ves wouldnʼt change his mind.

Sometimes, she wondered whether she wanted Ves to become a Hexer at all.